“The Purification” after Snake Dance c. 1900

Adam Clark Vroman created this photograph, “The Purification” after Snake Dance, at the turn of the twentieth century. Vroman was part of a generation of photographers whose work captured images of Native Americans, often with an eye to preserving what they understood as a vanishing culture. The photograph documents a ritual cleansing after the famous Hopi snake dance, an event central to the Hopi people's spiritual life. Vroman's image, however, exists within a complex history. It was produced during a period of intense cultural assimilation efforts by the U.S. government. Photography, in this context, became both a tool for documentation and a means of control, shaping perceptions of Native American identity. The image, printed on a playing card, further underscores the commodification and, perhaps, trivialization of Hopi culture. To fully understand this photograph, one must consider the photographer’s intentions, the historical context of U.S. policy towards Native Americans, and the agency of the Hopi people themselves. Researching archives of letters, government documents, and the oral histories of the Hopi people offers a more complete understanding of this work.